40 riSHtKIIS MANACilMl-NI 



In later chapters I propose major chaiijies to rciliicc ihc 

 euessive rtshing capacity of the commercial salmon lloci. 

 to control the pressure of s[X)rttishmi; on siilncrable 

 stiKks. to nnprove miormation and research, antl to 

 begin a systematic inventory of freshwater habitat, along 

 with other measures to improve management capabilities. 

 These measures should be regarded as preretjuisiles for 

 an> future salmon management program, and shtiuld not 

 await the formulation of the detailed plan rccomnicndcii 

 here. 



Other Species 



Several difficulties complicate the task of developing 

 long-term plans for the herring tishenes. Market condi- 

 tions are highly variable because of the volatility of her- 

 nng production around the world: the immense overca- 

 pacity of the fleet severely constrains management flexi- 

 bility : and some uncertainty remains about the biology of 

 the stocks. Managers of our herring fisheries can do little 

 about international fluctuations in markets. In Chapter 9, 

 1 deal with the problem of overcoming excessive fleet 

 capacity, and in Chapter 6, with the need to overcome 

 the uncertainties about the stocks. 



.Another difficulty in developing long-term plans is the 

 controversy over how to achieve maximum substainable 

 yields. Some scientists recommend managing the harvest 

 to provide for an equal spawning escapement every year 

 despite fluctuations in the stock; others suggest maintain- 

 ing the harvest, leaving the escapement to vary. We have 

 little evidence to show the relative efficacy of the different 

 techniques, and so management policy lacks a firm 

 scientific foundation. These questions should be resolved 

 as quickly as possible, and the most effective way of 

 doing so is through careful experimentation. I therefore 

 recommend — 



4. The long-term plan for herring management should 

 include provision for experimenting with alternative 

 management strategies to determine their relative 

 effectiveness in maximizing long-term yields. 



Some other basic biological questions plague the man- 

 agement of herring. In Chapter 6 I note, for example, the 

 uncertainty about the discreteness of herring stocks and 

 the interdependence of hernng and salmon stocks. Such 

 questions must be resolved by biological research. 



Little effort has so far been directed toward developing 

 long-term plans and strategies for groundfish. The cur- 

 rent emphasis on monitoring, analysis and cautious 

 exploitation appropriate for this relatively new fishery 

 should provide the foundation for more well-defined 

 long-term plans in the future. 



.SIIOKI-II KM IM.ANNINC; 



Long-term jiLins pioMilc direction and guidance for 

 short-term seasonal planning, which involves pre-season 

 plans, in-season management and post-season evalua- 

 tions. 



Pre-season plans 



For some years the Department has produced general 

 pre-season fishing plans to meet tentative harvest objec- 

 tives and to achieve desired spawning escapements. For 

 the last two years, pre-season fishing plans for commer- 

 cial fishing have been published in the form of a Com- 

 mercial Fishing Guide.^ TTiey provide initial guidance for 

 the IX'partment's field staff responsible for in-season reg- 

 ulation of the fisheries and supplementary field programs. 



Salmon For salmon, the Commercial Fishing Guide 

 provides estimates of expected and optimum escape- 

 ments for each species in each statistical area, and the 

 expected fi.shing regime for the ensuing year. 



The plans are ba.sed on expected abundance, timing 

 and migration routes of the returning runs, estimated 

 spawning requirements, aspirations of fishermen and pol- 

 icy objectives. Present policies give first priority to biolog- 

 ical needs, second to the requirements of the Indian 

 fishery, and third to the commercial and recreational 

 fisheries." Within the latter two groups, the balance of 

 interests among seiners, gillnetters, trollers and sport 

 fishermen is considered. Fishing plans also take account 

 of Canada's international arrangements with the United 

 States. 



Salmon managers face four major diflnculties in devel- 

 oping the pre-season plans. First, they seldom know with 

 much confidence how many fish will enter a fishery. Sec- 

 ond, they cannot reliably predict the time the stock will 

 enter the fishery. Third, they do not know how many 

 vessels will participate in a particular fishery. The highly 

 mobile fleet in the salmon fishery responds quickly and 

 often unpredictably to fishing opportunities along the 

 coast. Sometimes managers refrain from planning open- 

 ings for small runs because of the threat of excessive 

 fishing effort being directed to the available stocks. 

 Fourth, information about the stocks and their spawning 

 requirements is so weak that the escapement targets are 

 little better than guesses. 



The Department has also encountered administrative 

 difficulties in formulating fishing plans. A serious frustra- 

 tion has been the government's failure, from time to time, 

 to legally proclaim the planned regulations in advance of 

 the fishing season. Another is the lack of flexibility avail- 

 able to the Department in defining areas for openings 

 and closures for management needs. These impediments 

 to effective fishenes management must be eliminated, as I 

 propose in Chapter 21 . 



